Career and Job-Hunting Blog: April 2004

Career and Job-Hunting Blog

Career and job-search news, trends, and scoops for job-seekers, compiled by the staff of Quintessential Careers.

April 26, 2004

We’re celebrating the fifth anniversary of Quintessential Careers founder and publisher Dr. Randall Hansen writing his Career Doctor advice column. In that time he has written more than 125 columns, helping more than 500 job-seekers with their college, career, and job-search problems. He’s also marking the 100th appearance of the print version of the Career Doctor column in its flagship newspaper, the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

And as with all our celebrations, you readers get the true prize. Read the third installment of Dr. Hansen’s annual compilation of 10 of the most common problems he receives — along with his expert advice.

Tax day brought with it the added bad news that new claims for unemployment benefits jumped rather dramatically — and much higher than economists predicted — in the last week, the biggest increase in a year and a half.

The U.S. Labor Department reported that there were 360,000 newly unemployed workers filing for jobless benefits last week, an increase of 30,000 (when only about a 7,000 increase was expected). It was the largest one-week gain since December 2002.

Still, economists remain positive that this weekly spike was just a one-time occurrence and that the job market is still improving.

So, if you have given up on your job-search, now is the time to dust off your resume and work on polishing it and giving yourself another chance to find your job.

More good news on the employment front. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that the number of Americans filing first-time claims for state unemployment insurance dropped sharply in the week ending April 3 to the lowest level in more than three years — down to 328,000, the lowest level since just before President Bush took office, from 342,000 the previous week.

The combination of today’s new about jobless aid claims combined with last week’s news about the large increase in job creation in March may finally be the consistent signs we’re all looking for signaling a return to a better job market for job-seekers.

April 6, 2004

What jobs will be most in demand in tomorrow’s job market? Business Week reports on research conducted by economists from MIT and Harvard that concludes that the key factor in the future potential of a job is whether it is routine or nonroutine.

If a job can be broken down into repeatable steps that vary little from day-to-day, that job can be easily replaced by a machine or outsourced to cheaper labor outside the U.S. Jobs that require flexibility, creativity, and lifelong learning — jobs such as sales, management, teaching, and many professions — will stay in demand… and stay in the U.S.

According to Frank Levy (MIT) and Richard J. Murnane (Harvard), in their forthcoming book called The New Division of Labor: How Computers Are Creating the Next Job Market, two kinds of jobs will remain impossible to routinize: one involves complex pattern recognition and the other relies on complex communications skills.

Finally, some good news on the employment front was announced on Friday when the U.S. Department of Labor announced that employment rose last month at the fastest pace in nearly four years. However, the news was not all good.

While approximately 1.8 millions jobs have been lost since President Bush took office, non-farm payrolls climbed 308,000 in March — the biggest gain since April 2000. Job gains were spread across just about every industry, though 47,000 came from retail and 71,000 from construction. The only sector losing jobs last month was information services, where companies cut approximately 1,000 jobs.

Oddly, the unemployment rate increased slightly, from 5.6 percent to 5.7 percent — mainly because job-seekers returned to job-hunting, only to be unsuccessful in the search.

Also, the number of Americans in part-time employment continues to rise, as more unemployed job-seekers accept any kind of work, rising to 4.7 million in March, up from 4.4 million in February.

April 1, 2004

It’s no prank… while experts await the latest national employment numbers, which will be released on Friday, other news came from the Midwest yesterday showing continued weak job prospects.

The employment component of the Chicago Purchasing Management Index dropped from 54.8 in February to 49.2 in March. A number below 50 signifies contraction. "The employment component was not encouraging," stated Gary Thayer, chief economist at A.G. Edwards & Sons. ont>

A poll by the Reuters news agency reported that analysts expect about 100,000 news jobs were added in March, which would be positive news but still far below the 300,000+ monthly job creation needed to begin catching up with employment demand.

Job Stuff, A Blog for Your Career, from Stephen Harris. Stephen’s blog is a great resource for those job-seekers who find yourselves in transition, searching for guidance and reassurance.

The Occupational Adventure Blog, from Curt Rosengren, a Passion Catalyst. Curt’s blog is great for finding encouraging ideas (and resources) for moving forward with your career… a career that lights your fire.

TrueCareers Career Blog, from the career and job site dedicated to professional and college-educated job-seekers… where they say you get the real scoop on how to get the job you want faster — with insider tips and more.

Dr. Randall S. Hansen is founder of Quintessential Careers, one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO of EmpoweringSites.com. He is also founder of MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of Quintessential Careers Press, including the Quintessential Careers electronic newsletter, QuintZine. Dr. Hansen is also a published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He’s often quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Finally, Dr. Hansen is also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years. Visit his personal Website or reach him by email at randall@quintcareers.com. Check out Dr. Hansen on GooglePlus.

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